A variety of gift boxes are typically used to package gifts for special occasions, such as holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and the like. Decorative ornaments and attachments are well-known in the prior patent art for use on such gift boxes. The use of such decorations is intended to obviate the need to have the box separately gift-wrapped.
Representative examples of such decorations are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,515,332, issued Jun. 2, 1970 to Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,331, issued May 6, 1980 to Austin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,877, issued Feb. 22, 1983 to Cole, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,314, issued Nov. 15, 1993 to Penick.
The Smith patent discloses a container having a top closure with a pair of paperboard flaps which coact with each other to provide a three-dimensional representation of a given subject. The Austin patent discloses a carton having a top portion provided with butterfly wing shaped tabs which are maintained at an angle relative to the top of the carton to create an alleged aesthetically pleasing design. The Cole patent discloses a decoration adapted to automatically expand or pop-up to an upstanding orientation from a compact folded orientation for use in gift-wrapping a package. The Penick patent discloses a gift box having a separate design panel hingedly attached to one of the box panels which stands apart from the box itself for display on the exterior of the box.
These prior art patents collectively represent a step in the right direction toward obviating the need to have the box separately gift-wrapped. However, the particular designs of the decorations of these patents appear to fall short from both aesthetic and functional standpoints of providing a pleasing appearance which is equivalent to a box gift-wrapped with wrapping paper and the like. Consequently, a need still exists for a more pleasing and unique decoration for a gift box. Furthermore, the decorative features of the prior art arrangements do not perform the meaningful functional task of securing the box closed.